Restaurant Week marks the start of a new beginning of sorts for Gigi’s Southern Table. With a new culinary team and a brand new menu launching June 14th weekend, Gigi’s is getting back to their Southern roots. Think coffee steak and gorgeous cuts of beef. 

Sous Chef Nate Worthy talks to us about his beer can Southern chicken dish, plated with a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can on a nest of sweet potato hay. “It’s super easy to throw a beer can in a chicken and cook it,” Worthy says. But there’s more to it than that.

First, the bird is brined in beer, a mix of herbs and lemon for 24 hours before being pan seared in the oven. Then, lemon barbecue sauce, melded with beer and a touch of barbecue drizzled on top gives a hint of sweetness to the chicken and to the fried red potatoes and grilled broccolini served alongside. 

Nothing says summer like a cocktail in a mason jar. The Bourbon Peach Palmer is a Southern twist on the Arnold Palmer. This tea, lemon juice and peach bourbon is dangerously refreshing. Diners can also enjoy the refreshment without the buzz — the Peach Palmer can be made with peach puree instead of bourbon. 

“Sitting around with family, having some drinks — it’s kind of what we are all about here,” Worthy says of what it means to get back to the restaurant’s Southern roots. With an abundance of indoor and outdoor seating, there are plenty of spaces to gather and enjoy food and drink with friends and family alike.